Each May, during Mental Health Awareness Month, we remember how important it is to keep conversations around mental health going—not just in clinical settings, but out in the community, where we live, work, and play. One way we do that at Wyandot Behavioral Health Network is through our annual stART the conversation art exhibition.
This year marks our fourth year and our biggest exhibition yet, with more than 100 adult and youth artists from across the Kansas City metro coming together to share their personal perspectives on mental health through visual art. I invite you to join us on Thursday, May 22, at the Kansas City Kansas Community College Technical Education Center. Year after year, I am amazed by the beautiful artwork and the brave, powerful stories behind each piece.
At its heart, stART the conversation is about creating space: space for expression, space for vulnerability, and space for connection. It provides a platform for individuals with lived experience of mental health challenges to tell their stories in a creative and meaningful way. Art allows us to express things that words sometimes cannot. It has a unique ability to capture the full scope of our mental health journeys—and to reflect those experiences back to others in ways that foster empathy, understanding, and hope.
Each piece of art invites us to pause and consider: How does this connect to my own experience or the experience of someone I care about? In that moment, we begin to see parts of ourselves in someone else’s story. That’s the beginning of real conversation—and it’s how we continue to break the stigma around mental health.
I hope you will join us on May 22 to experience this inspiring exhibition. Whether you come to support the artists, to reflect on your own mental health journey, or simply to engage in open, honest dialogue, your presence matters.